On the 5th of August we are launching a crowdfunding campaign for Exoplanet: First Contact on Kickstarter. This is a great opportunity for you to show your support by backing our game and sharing the news. On the Kickstarter page you can follow the campaign progress, news and exclusive updates that show a glimpse into the game’s lore, gameplay mechanics and development process.

That is why we want to ask you to support us by sharing this awesome news with your friends. It is easy. Just follow the link and click SUPPORT (Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr):

While we workin’ hard on Exoplanet: First Contact we decided to introduce you some changes. New alpha is not just ’bout approvin’ some elements of the game but new features. Your opinion, ideas and questions are always welcome. Have a nice trip!

Among the many attractions on K’Tharsis that shows anyone for reasonable cost there is something that locals call «living hills». In fact, these structures are nothing but nests of Silpha Alatum beetles (wingless carrion). Constructed in a special way, they are able to cool subterranean dwelling, allowing these insects to survive in the extreme conditions of the desert. The central tower of the colonies can reach fifty feet tall, sometimes more, and underground tunnels can extend for many miles around.

We have a pretty strange tradition: one poll in a year. Thus, we asked you about user interface in Exoplanet: First Contact in 2012, then in 2013 — about inventory. But it is already middle of 2014, and it means that lazy arse like me should summarize some things and create something new.

First of all, polls are going to be more often. But before we can move on to the next one, let us talk about distribution of votes and solutions for inventory system. You can see on the screenshot how inventory looks right now. I guess you’re understand why we need to change it. That is why we asked you: «What inventory do you want to see in Exoplanet?»

Wandering K’Tharsis a traveller could find a number of a traces of that incredible scope which had the process of initial colonization of the planet. Huge constructions and ingenious mechanisms created and abandoned by people are now slowly decaying monuments of excessive ambitions of the human race.

When reserves of antigravium were discovered on K’Tharsis, corporations turned their greedy eyes and decided to settle here permanently. The largest one — Terraform — created a programm named «Vita Nova», whose main aim was to turn this desert planet into a blooming paradise. One of the most important roles was played by atmospheric stations built by the corporation. It was a huge air-conditioners that used to reduce air temperature and to increase its humidity and also to change a composition of air for more familiar for humans. Around them was created workers settlements for service staff which wasn’t just watch the stations efficiency but planted around the base a samples of the most unpretentious and genetically modified plants from Terra.

However, when it became clear that readly available reserves of antigravium on the planet become poor fast enough, founding of the project was frozen. The corporation doesn’t want to waste its own resources for dismantling of the buildings: they took away the most valuable things — cold synthesis reactors and atmosphere converters made from rare-earth metals. The locals got the rest. They occupy abandoned workers settlements and pilfer the stations for the parts.

After about 300 years of vandalism made the most of this giant structurs unfit. And when one of the station placed on a slopes of Great Scar collapsed and buried under its ruins about 200 inhabitants of Outpost 23 many settlements become empty. Nowadays abandoned houses of little towns placed in the shadows of the giants are often become temporary havens for bandits or different kinds of strollers. According to the locals the towers setlling only insanes, idiots or insane idiots.

One of these towers surprisingly enough well-preserved stands next to Outpost 74. Residents says that there lives a hermit-inventor (obviously, equally brilliant and insane). He turned this place to his lab. Inhabitants of the Outpost are not very happy about this neighbor who terrorizing the entire town with his extravagant expirements. He used to change gravity in a several miles radius, created a strong earthquake and electromagnetic pulses spoiling any electronics and once he raised a real shower of small lightning balls that burn everything on its way. It is miracle that the population of the town were able to avoid of mass casualties and annihilating fire. However the most of the residents had condone when the hermit fixed a wind turbines eleminated power outages. Less pliant others cooled its ardor when the scientist repaired turret defence system and turned the lab into a fortress. Now the locals do not dare to approach to the tower closer than a hundred paces and the insane genius could easily prepare new experiments which undoubtedly will present people with new surprises.